Somebody over at MSN put together a video of a two-day road trip around Puerto Rico, and I'll admit it got me thinking. Beaches, rainforest, mountain roads, food stands along the highway. The whole island packed into a weekend run. You can watch the video here and see for yourself, but I wanted to talk about why the place works so well for this kind of trip.

First off, the logistics are easier than folks think. You don't need a passport if you're coming from the states, the money's the same, and the whole island is roughly a hundred and ten miles long. You can genuinely drive from a rainforest to a beach in the same morning without feeling rushed, and that doesn't happen many places. Most spots that pretty make you burn a whole tank of gas just getting to one good view.

The video hits the highlights, and they're the right ones. El Yunque is the big one, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System. Tell you what, that place is something else. The road up through it winds and climbs, the canopy closes over you, and it rains whether the forecast says so or not. That's just how it is down there. Wear shoes you don't mind getting soaked and pay attention to the signs about flash floods in the creek crossings. People get in trouble when they treat it like a city park, so don't.

Then you've got the beaches on the west and northwest side, around Rincon and Aguadilla. From what I've seen and heard, Rincon's got that old surf-town feel to it, though it's grown up some over the years, and the water's warm and the sunsets run the whole show in the evening. If you time your trip right you can be in the mountains in the morning and standing in the sand by mid-afternoon. I don't care who you are, that's a good day.

And the roads. That's the part I'd underline for anybody who reads this column regularly. The central mountain routes, especially around the old coffee country, are switchbacks and blind curves with views that'll make you pull over whether you meant to or not. Drive them in the daylight. Some of those roads get narrow and the fog rolls in fast in the afternoons, and a guardrail isn't always part of the deal. Rent something small too. I've said before that the car matters less than people think, and a little compact that corners well will beat a big SUV on those roads every day of the week.

The other thing the video touches on that I'll second is the food along the way. Puerto Rican roadside stands, the kiosks, the lechoneras up in the mountains serving slow-roasted pork with rice and beans. You won't eat better for less money anywhere in the Caribbean, I reckon. Pull over where the locals are parked. That rule has never once failed me anywhere I've traveled, and it won't fail you there either.

Two days is enough to get a real taste, and I mean that. You won't see everything, but you'll come home understanding why people go back, and there's not much more of a pitch than that. This is an island that rewards the driver, the same way the old two-lanes here at home do. Get off the main highway, roll the windows down, and see where the road goes.

I've got my Ozarks trip still on the books for this fall, but watching that video, a winter run down to Puerto Rico when everything up here turns gray is starting to sound like a fine idea. Warm sand in January. A man could do worse.